Literature and Ourselves: A Thematic Introduction for Readers and Writers

by Gloria Mason Henderson

Literature and Ourselves: A Thematic Introduction for Readers and Writers, Second Edition is a thematically arranged anthology representing an extraordinary variety of both traditional and contemporary works as well as the full spectrum of cultures and ethnicities. Designed to encourage critical thought, it invites readers to explore their own lives through literature. Organized into six thematic sections with coverage of essays, fiction, poetry, and drama in each, the book focuses on Family, Men and Women, Human Vulnerability, Freedom and Responsibility, Art and Language, and Quest. Innovative casebooks on six established authors offer both primary works by James Baldwin, Henrik Ibsen, Robert Frost, Ursula K. LeGuin, Alice Walker, and Flannery O'Connor as well as critical essays on their writing. New: enhanced coverage of writing about literature, including a revised and expanded introductory chapter on student writing, new student essays in the writing casebooks, and step-by-step coverage of the writing process in each thematic unit's introduction; a considerably expanded and more culturally diverse poetry selection - a total of 32 new poems by poets such as Rita Dove, Alberto Rios, Rosa Marie Arenas, and Barbara Watkins; six new short stories by Alice Munroe, Margaret Atwood, Harlan Ellison, Bernard Malamud, Zora Neal Hurston, and Amy Hempel as well as four new essays and one new play; and a helpful appendix on basic critical approaches to literary interpretation.

Genres: Nonfiction

1396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[DawnF · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that contains essays, short fictions, poems and dramas.

There are so many wonderful writers and pieces captured in this book. The drama that made this book completely worthwhile for me was Shakespeare's Othello.

Othello is not a cheerful story, but instead is rather tragic and maddening (especially to a girl like me - I would think things like, why did he just believe what that person said...why didn't he ask her?!). But the reason I loved it was that the footnotes really helped improve my early 17th century English and enabled me to understand an otherwise impossible piece.

I can now say that I've read Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Jr., Tom Stoppard, Yeats, Keating, etc. A very nice starting point for someone who wants to expand their literary pursuits.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had it for an English Course, there's some pretty captivating works in there, and a lot of really apt interpretations, analyses, and criticisms. By being forced to read it i managed to find a number of authors i'm interested in, and a couple too that i'd all but forgotten. If you ever use this for a class, i imagine you will only use a certain selection of what's available, but take a look around in your free time, and keep it on your shelf to come back to; if you want to have access to a Shakespeare Sonnet in one place that also includes: Bill Cosby, Kurt Vonnegut, William Faulkner, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Frost, and dozens you've probably never heard of or given a chance before, then you might want to have this around. If only to put something on that bookshelf with other "reference" books you never get to use, that you may actually be interested in, thereby blending the organizational system in a pleasing way, you might want hold onto Literature and Ourselves.
And that's not even mentioning the wide range of thought-provoking themes and subjects it tackles in order to draw in such an ensemble.

[Lyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this as a text book for a writing class I took at FLC in 2014. I have kept it because it has a wonderful selection of well known writers included and I return to it periodically to read someone specific. I have not read it cover to cover but we used quite a bit of the material for the class.